[soccermaul]

City election casts cloud over Dynamo stadium
Houston Business Journal

While the Major League Soccer team awaits pending approval — or a thumbs down — from Harris County for a tax financing structure that would make the team’s long sought-after downtown stadium a reality, another potential political hurdle has popped up.
Although the city has already set aside the land for the 22,000-seat venue near Minute Maid Park under the watch of Mayor Bill White, the results of the Nov. 3 municipal election might cloud the stadium picture.
A recent television campaign ad by mayoral candidate and City Controller Annise Parker, for example, specifically mentions her opposition to new sports venues. “I won’t raise taxes or cut police to fund more stadiums we can’t afford,” the ad states.

[Yoshou]

Holy crap. Houston is building their stadium out of pearl?? That's gotta drive up the construction costs.

[DoctorD]

Harbor? Ching will be happy.

[Dirt McGirt]

Spelchek ur threds titls peps!

[jass]

As much as I like to see new MLS stadiums, I agree. I dont think public money should ever go to pay for a private business, especially one whos sole purpose is entertainment.

[soccermaul]

Originally Posted by Yoshou

Holy crap. Houston is building their stadium out of pearl?? That's gotta drive up the construction costs.

Originally Posted by DoctorD

Harbor? Ching will be happy.

Originally Posted by Dirt McGirt

Spelchek ur threds titls peps!

You three need to check with your eye doctors.

[Dirt McGirt]

Originally Posted by soccermaul

You three need to check with your eye doctors.

Cheater.

De La Hoya better fix this stadium thing.

[uclacarlos]

Pearls are nice, but they really should go w/ diamonds. They last longer AND they're more popular w/ the ladies.

Soccer mom crowd is super important to MLS!

Originally Posted by jass

As much as I like to see new MLS stadiums, I agree. I dont think public money should ever go to pay for a private business, especially one whos sole purpose is entertainment.

If only life were so simple.

Public support for private ventures happens all the time, especially when the public stands to gain from said venture (jobs --> income taxes, business taxes, extra revenue from hotel stays, added jobs in the hotel and service sector --> income taxes, etc.).

Now. Forking over a billion dollars for a pointy-ball team might not be justifiable, but outright rejection of a viable project sight unseen is ridiculous. (Looking at you, Field of Schemes...)

[newtex]

A recent television campaign ad by mayoral candidate and City Controller Annise Parker, for example, specifically mentions her opposition to new sports venues. “I won’t raise taxes or cut police to fund more stadiums we can’t afford,” the ad states.

That is a very weasely statement since the proposed plan does not raise taxes or cut police to fund the public funding portion of the proposed soccer stadium. The proposed funding mechanism is an incremental property tax zone where new tax revenue over what is currently being collected from the area would pay the public portion. It also contains the qualifier "to fund more stadiums we can't afford". So if the city can afford this stadium (which it can since the city and county are only playing a small portion of the cost) then the rest of the statement is moot.

So Parker can make statements like that to appease the anti-stadium public while keeping open the option to support the stadium plan after the election. I'm not saying that she will but she could and would not be breaking any promise.

BTW, the city contribution to this project is $10 million out of total city annual budget of over $3 billion dollars.

[SonicDeathMonkey]

Originally Posted by jass

As much as I like to see new MLS stadiums, I agree. I dont think public money should ever go to pay for a private business, especially one whos sole purpose is entertainment.

This doesn't seem to be much of an issue, as AEG is covering most of the cost, with the difference being payed by the TIRZ. Plus, Texas Southern will be playing in it, and I'm assuming its a State University. A win/win for everyone.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houst...22/story4.html